Magus: The Art of Magic from Faustus to Agrippa

Historian Grafton (Inky Fingers) offers a superb account of the astrologers, alchemists, and sorcerers who practiced “natural magic” in Europe from the Middle Ages through early modernity. Grafton demonstrates that, while magical practice was already ubiquitous, what was innovative about these self-styled Learned Magicians was their belief that sorcery worked because of, and not despite, the rational laws of nature. Subjects include the historical Doctor Faustus, a “necromancer” whose exploits would become fodder for Marlowe and Goethe; the Renaissance humanist and reviver of Neoplatonist philosophy Marsilio Ficino; and the occultist and soldier Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. According to Grafton, these practitioners were united by their boosterism and a messianic regard for their vocation; understanding themselves to possess unprecedented technological control over the natural world, they believed they were contributing to an imminent scientific revolution that promised even greater control. Some of the magicians’ pursuits were indeed precursors to modern science, such as Faustus’s use of his “expert knowledge of optics, light and shadow” to conjure figures before a crowd. Grafton combines extensive research with a flair for the idiosyncrasies of biography, spinning charmingly digressive character portraits. (When a critic denounced Faustus at dinner, he threatened to disappear all the man’s household pots and pans.) The result will delight readers interested in the historical intersection of art, science, and religion. (Dec.)